Flabbergasted. The happiest kind of flabbergasted was what I would define it as.

We had asked Asher to drop us off at the same park Jayden and Josiah took us for a picnic.

Currently we were standing before Asher, who was leaning against the car with his arms crossed. Lifting his right foot, he crossed his ankles too and gave us a look.

"I'll come pick you up at six sharp. Remember to call one of us every hour and don't do anything to get in trouble. That's all." He listed the expectations.

We nodded, which caused him to drop the emotionless facade and his bright smile to return.

"Alright then. Enjoy your picnic. I love you."

Just as that 'I love you' left his mouth, Levi took the hint and rushed for a hug while I stood there, smiling like an idiot again and being shocked and happy.

Asher was also moving forward for a hug when she rushed forward, so they met each other's embraces halfway.

Asher chuckled when she collided with his chest and proceeded to wrap her in a tight hug.

Will they be mad if I take a picture?

Nah, I don't think so.

Very quietly, I slipped my phone out of my pocket and took a picture quietly.

Just my luck. Asher bent down to kiss her head just in time for the picture.

I want to shriek my head off!

He swayed both of them from side to side, supposedly not wanting to unhug each other. Asher took a deep breath in, causing Levi to follow suit and take a deep breath too. She visibly melted into the hug by the end of that long inhale.

"Okay, sweetheart. I don't want to pull away but I have to because little Rose is waiting for her turn," Asher said, quietly, leaning down to kiss her head again.

Levi gave a small nod and released her hold hesitantly. Asher's hands went from around her back to the sides of her face. He leaned down to place kisses all over her face which earned him a bright smile from Levi.

That was a big reward. Her smile wasn't something you got easily. But Asher seemed to have reached that point easily.

I blinked when my vision was suddenly blocked by a white shirt. Blinking again, I looked up to find Asher looking down at me with a big smile.

"Take care. I love you," he repeated and pulled me into a hug. A warm one.

Josiah's hugs are a little different. They provide the same warmth, just friendlier. Asher has more of a fatherly warmth.

I melted into the hug immediately, listening to his big heart thumping in a calming rhythm.

He bent down to kiss my head.

"Send that picture to me too," he whispered, chuckling when I tensed up a little but immediately relaxed.

I thought I didn't make it noticeable!

He pulled away and showered kisses all over my face too. My gaze drifted to my twin standing behind him and a smile appeared on my face when I saw her smiling wide while looking at me.

"Okay. Bye Babies," Asher said, as he moved to get in the car.

We waved our hands, lowering them when the car started moving.

Well I did. Levi didn't lower her hand until it was out of view. Her eyebrows furrowed the slightest bit.

"Already missing your favorite brother, huh?" I nudged her, snapping her out of her daze and causing the small almost unnoticeable pout on her face to vanish.

"No," she said, quickly turning around. She grabbed my hand and started walking into the park, without sparing me another glance or word.

I walked behind her silently, struggling to hold in my laughter. I could see her ears and they were red from embarrassment.

She stopped near an empty bench under a tree. Releasing her hold on my hand, she motioned for me to take a seat.

So I did. Looking up at her expectantly, I saw she was looking around, before she moved to take a seat.

She sat beside me and put her arm around my shoulders.

Silence enveloped us in its comforting embrace as we just watched the nearly empty park.

"How was your session?" I managed to ask. I couldn't find my voice before, because of the silence.

"Good." Levi turned her head towards me suddenly. I turned mine too, only to be met with a happy look.

A happiness she had locked away somewhere, after she received that call about Dad. When Lucas entered five minutes after the call, to find me crumbled on the floor and her comforting me.

But he comforted us that day. He did say some warm words to us. But he also did tell me to stop crying.

Levi was breaking painfully. She had yet to shed a tear when he came. Instead she was focussed on wiping mine.

I let her, hoping to get her some privacy later, so she could get her grief out.

Who knew? Who knew that yet was never to come? She never shed a tear even after we were alone cuddled up in Dad's room.

Even the gut wrenching sobs that escaped my throat that day didn't do anything to push her own out of her throat.

She just sat there hugging herself and smelling the hoodie she was wearing. Not smelling, she had her nose buried into the neck, she was breathing in his scent from that hoodie and staring at the floor. He had put that hoodie on her the night prior because she was upset he was going away for so long. The black hoodie with four hearts and 'This big heart loves his little hearts' written on it. He got it custom made for him and Mom.

"Rose? Everything okay?" I heard. I blinked when she shook me suddenly.

"Yes. I was just thinking something," I said, smiling reassuringly. She frowned.

"Are you sure?" She asked. I nodded my head violently.

"What were you saying?" I asked. The worried look on her face vanished and her face brightened up.

"I met Muffin today!" She exclaimed. "He was visiting Nico and we reached there just in time."

"Dang. I didn't get to meet him again." I pouted. I really want to meet Muffin.

"Oh and he brought muffins," she said, before turning around and rummaging through my bag.

When did she put them in there?

"He really wants to live up to that name." I laughed, causing another set of laughter to sound along with mine.

My heart just fluttered at that sound. After two years of not hearing her laughter, my heart doesn't leave a chance to make me feel warm every time I hear it now.

"Here," she said, pushing the box towards me. I opened the lid and found two compartments. Eight muffins on either side.

One with muffins having bunny shaped candies and gummies on top of the swirling cream. One with lots of sprinkles and the cream in the shape of a Rose.

"He remembers." Came out a mumble.

Levi looked into the box when I said that and a soft smile appeared on her face.

My heart fluttered again. He didn't break the tradition.

"Well, he would've gotten a good lecture if he broke the tradition," Levi said, jokingly.

"We all know Muffin is too cute to be lectured," I said, shaking my head and watching her get a muffin for herself.

"Well yeah. But he's not so cute anymore. He's a grown man now and his baby face has vanished," she said, making me pout.

I loved his baby face. I found him so cute that he always got assigned as a puppy while we played.

"How's it going with you?" She asked, suddenly.

"Good." I smiled. "Josiah has been really sweet but he fusses over small things too much."

She chuckled.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Like he started worrying when I stubbed my pinky toe. Yes it hurt. But he was so worried, he wasn't letting me walk at all," I said, shaking my head. I had to pretend to be upset that he wasn't letting me walk. That worked and he finally put me down.

My twin chuckled.

"That's cute, Rosie Posie," she said, chuckling more when she saw the slightest annoyance in my expressions.

"And once he said I was a baby and shouldn't be trying to do things like cutting veggies," I said. That caused a series of laughs from my side.

"Well, you are," she said.

"I'm not a baby." I whined, a pout forming on my face on its own.

"Okay, Rose," she said. Her words said she believed me but her tone said the opposite.

"I'll tell-" I bit my tongue, so I didn't speak further. Levi howled with laughter and almost fell off the bench, but caught herself.

"Tell who? Josiah?" She asked, when she stopped laughing. My face heated up with embarrassment. Seeing that, she started laughing again.

"Stop it." I meant for it to be a grumble but it came out as a squeak.

"Aww," she said, pinching my puffed up cheeks.

"Levi." A warning.

"That still sounded like a whine," she pointed out, bursting out laughing again.

"I'll tell Asher you were making fun of me," I said, quietly. Her laughter ceased immediately, causing me to smirk.

But my smirk fell when I saw her smiling in amusement.

"Asher doesn't have the ability to scold someone." She lied.

"You're lying." I huffed. "I was there when he went all angry Mom on Jayden."

I looked at her to find her eyes widened as she remembered that.

"Yeah. That was scary," she said, nodding her head slowly.

"I totally agree," I said, gulping a little.

"Why were you late?" She asked after a moment.

"There was this tall raven boy who was talking to me and I thought it'd be rude to leave mid conversation," I said.

"Tall raven?" She asked. I nodded my head and turned it to look at her. "With brown almost black eyes?"

"Yes." I knitted my eyebrows together. "Do you know-"

She let out a long loud ew before I could finish my question.

"No no. Stay away from him," she said. I nodded out of habit.

Stay away from him. Noted.

"I didn't talk to him myself. He started it," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "But how do you know him?"

"Saw him making out with a pretty girl. I tried to walk past quietly but he heard me and showed off a little. Then I saw him at lunch and saw him being really close with another girl. The girl from before was okay with it. So I think he's a player," she rambled.

Another unusual thing from her. Asher has changed my sister and I'm more than grateful for it.

"His name sounds like a wizard's name," I said, chuckling a little.

"Oh?" She asked, her eyes widening a fraction.

"Yes. Felix Petrov," I said, moving my hand like I had a wand in it and making a swishing motion.

"That's a cool name," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Now I hate him even more."

"Levi is a cool name too," I said, watching her nod a little.

"Rose is a cute name. Right, little Rosie Posie?" She teased, nudging me with an elbow.

I groaned and hid my face in my hands.

"Stop it. I'm not a baby," I mumbled into my hands.

Laughter echoed around us.

"You totally are," she said, in between laughs.

We sat in silence for a moment. After her laughter and my embarrassment had died down, we let silence engulf us again.

"I love Asher for what he's done for you." I found myself saying, causing her head to bow down and her gaze to lock onto her shoes. A small smile rested on her face.

"I love him more," She mumbled, kicking her feet shyly.

I smiled and slipped my hand into hers, which was resting on her knee.

"I don't doubt that one bit," I said.

"And I love Josiah for what he's doing for you," she said. My smile widened when her own did.

"He's just like Mom." I said, looking away from my twin when her gaze snapped to me. "Like his hugs feel like her and he acts like her a lot."

"Even more than mine?" She asked, referring to her hugs.

"I don't know." I settled with that. "Your hugs feel like Mom but you act like Lucian, whether you admit it or not. Josiah's hugs feel like Mom and he acts like her. So it's stronger in his case, I guess."

"I don't act like Lucian." She scowled. I stifled a laugh.

"You do. You want to have control and do stuff for others like he does and when you get all stern and protective, your face looks exactly like how girl Lucian will look like." I explained and blew out laughing when the scowl on her face deepened.

"You don't even know how girl Lucian will look like," she said, almost pouting at being compared to Lucian, who I know was her third most favorite brother.

Her most favorite brother was obviously Asher. Second favorite was definitely Josiah. Damien and Jayden both held the same fourth place.

"But I can imagine she looks like you." I teased, nudging her with my elbow. "So you're exactly like your favorite brother."

"Stop it." She actually grumbled that, which was slightly scary. I managed to giggle in response.

We watched as the park became emptier, so there was just two or three people we could see.

"You know." Levi cleared her throat. "I'm kinda loving it here. Day five of the deal and I'm ready to choose Asher and the others by the end of three weeks."

She said that quietly and a little hesitantly.

Whoever is sitting up there showering happiness over us, I'm sending lots of love. Just how many times does she want to surprise me today?

"Me too, Levi," I said, softly shifting closer to her. "I'm loving all the changes that are happening. With us and with life."

She nodded, putting her arm around my shoulder and pulling me close into her.

"I wish the happiness stays this time," she said, looking up at the sky. Her lips fought to stay where they were and instead turned down into a frown.

"It will." I tried to reassure, but who was I to reassure her when she's the one shielding me from everything and never letting out a cry of pain before me when she took all the hits.

Who am I to even feel loved by her after being so oblivious about her condition?

"I'm sorry," I said. She lowered her head slowly and turned to look at me. "I'm sorry I was too oblivious."

Too oblivious to notice that the sister standing beside me at all times had moved to stand before me, fighting with all the problems that were thrown our way.

"Hey! None of that." She scolded lightly. "You're not supposed to be sorry about the decision I made. I decided to keep everything from you."

"I should've noticed-" I stopped when she squeezed my shoulder. A warning to stop the bullpoop I was gonna say.

"Keep that aside. It wasn't your fault," she said, returning to look ahead again.

"Okay," I whispered, snuggling closer when she put a little pressure on my shoulder.

"Oh!" I said, when I suddenly remembered. "There's going to be a camp this weekend. I'm thinking of going."

"How long?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Four days," I answered. "They're leaving saturday morning. I'll be back by tuesday night. That is if Lucian allows."

"He should allow. You love these camps," she replidd, already signalling that she was ready to fight with him for it.

"You're not going again?" I asked, frowning at my sister.

She's never been to a camp since Dad. She started forcing me to go. Eventually I stopped protesting.

As much as it hurt being away from her, I really loved these camps. The nature and the things we do there. And Levi doesn't take protest to her decisions lightly.

"No. I don't like it," she said, turning away, so I couldn't see her face at all.

Not wanting to cross a line and touch a sensitive nerve, I replied with a small okay.

I don't want to make her sad when the day is going so good.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" I asked, looking into her eyes, to find them less tired compared to how they always are.

"Yeah. I didn't wake up as often as I do before," she replied, smiling softly.

"I think you should share rooms with Asher then," I said, letting out a chuckle. "He seems to be getting your cuddly side out."

I chuckled when she scowled despite her visible embarrassment.

"And how about you, Rosie Posie?" She mocked. "Did Josiah sing you a lullaby or cradle you to sleep?"

"He did sing a lullaby but he didn't cradle me to sleep." I stuck my tongue out. "Before you say it, that doesn't make me a baby."

"Yes. That doesn't." She agreed surprisingly. "But it does make you a teenage baby who loves lullabies from her favorite brother!"

She exclaimed laughing when I hid my face and groaned again.

"Josiah must be a great singer." She commented next.

His voice blended perfectly into the silence of the night. Like it was a part of it.

"Yes he is. He promised he will teach me how to play a piano." I added.

"Woah! That's so cool!" She exclaimed, whipping her head towards me. "Do you think he can teach me how to play a guitar?"

"I don't know. You will have to ask him," I answered, shrugging my shoulder.

I don't actually know if he plays a guitar or not.

Levi nodded her head, looking quite excited about learning.

The excitement on her face made my face to light up and a small smile to show itself on my lips.

I wish this happiness really stays for her.